What waiting to start saving costs you
Most people mean to start saving from next month. This shows what each month of waiting does to your own plan, with the yearly increase, tax and rising prices counted in.
Your numbers
Common answers are filled in. Change the ones you know.
Typical: ₹5,000. Put in yours.
We also show a lower path (3 points less) and a higher one (2 points more). Past growth doesn't promise future growth.
It only changes the order on your statement.
What waiting costs you
₹1,099 a day
Waiting 12 months has cost your plan about ₹4.4 lakh
That's in today's money, after tax, on the middle path. Each extra day of waiting costs about ₹1,099 more.
Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.
See the numbers by year
| Year | On time | Late |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹60,665 | ₹0 |
| 2 | ₹1.3 lakh | ₹57,776 |
| 3 | ₹2 lakh | ₹1.2 lakh |
| 4 | ₹2.9 lakh | ₹1.9 lakh |
| 5 | ₹3.8 lakh | ₹2.7 lakh |
| 6 | ₹4.8 lakh | ₹3.6 lakh |
| 7 | ₹5.9 lakh | ₹4.5 lakh |
| 8 | ₹7.1 lakh | ₹5.6 lakh |
| 9 | ₹8.4 lakh | ₹6.7 lakh |
| 10 | ₹9.8 lakh | ₹8 lakh |
| 11 | ₹11.4 lakh | ₹9.4 lakh |
| 12 | ₹13.1 lakh | ₹10.9 lakh |
| 13 | ₹15 lakh | ₹12.5 lakh |
| 14 | ₹17.1 lakh | ₹14.3 lakh |
| 15 | ₹19.3 lakh | ₹16.3 lakh |
| 16 | ₹21.7 lakh | ₹18.4 lakh |
| 17 | ₹24.4 lakh | ₹20.7 lakh |
| 18 | ₹27.2 lakh | ₹23.2 lakh |
| 19 | ₹30.3 lakh | ₹25.9 lakh |
| 20 | ₹33.7 lakh | ₹28.9 lakh |
What waiting costs on each growth path
- Lower (8%)₹3 lakh
- Middle (11%)₹4.4 lakh
- Higher (13%)₹5.7 lakh
Your small stepPick the date your ₹5,000 a month starts, and put it in your calendar today.
How we worked this out
- Your plan: ₹5,000 a month, going up 10% each year, for 20 years.
- Started on time, it ends at ₹31.2 lakh in today's money, after tax.
- Started 12 months late, with the same end date, it ends at ₹26.8 lakh.
- ₹31.2 lakh minus ₹26.8 lakh = ₹4.4 lakh.
- On the lower path (8% a year) the gap is ₹3 lakh. On the higher path (13% a year) it's ₹5.7 lakh.
- Today's money: we divide by 1.05 for each of the 20 years, because prices go up about 5% a year.
- Tax: 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh, taken once at the end.
- To end at the same place despite the late start, the plan would need ₹5,833 a month instead of ₹5,000.
- How much it matters to you: 7 out of 10. It only changes the order on your statement.
Fixed figures
- Tax on gains above ₹1.25 lakh, as for equity funds: 12.5%
- Money goes in at the start of each month: start of month
Sources
- SEBI investor calculator (2024): Our savings maths uses the standard SIP formula with money invested at the start of each month.
- Nifty 50 history (Bajaj AMC, Basunivesh) (2025): India's Nifty 50 index, with dividends, grew about 12.5% a year since 1999. But any 10-year stretch could land anywhere from about 6% to 23% a year.
- Income Tax rules, 2025-26 (2025): Gains on equity funds held over a year are taxed at 12.5%, and the first ₹1.25 lakh of gains in a year is tax-free.
- SBI Research, via The Tribune (2026): Prices in India are expected to rise about 5% a year on average in 2026-27.
How it works
Money goes in at the start of each month and grows a little every month. Each year, the amount you put in goes up by the share you choose.
Starting late keeps the same end date, so the late plan simply has fewer months to grow. The gap at the end is what waiting cost.
We take tax on gains once at the end, and turn future rupees into today's money, because a lakh in 20 years will buy much less than a lakh today.
We show three growth paths, because nobody knows the future. Over 10-year stretches, India's Nifty 50 grew anywhere from about 6% to 23% a year.
Sources
- SEBI investor calculator (2024): Returns are assumptions you can change, not promises. This is not investment advice.
- Nifty 50 history (Bajaj AMC, Basunivesh) (2025): Past growth doesn't promise future growth. We stay below the long-run average on purpose, and you can change every rate.
- Income Tax rules, 2025-26 (2025): We take the tax once at the end, which is a little harsher than selling bit by bit. Other plans, like deposits, are taxed differently.
- SBI Research, via The Tribune (2026): A bank's forecast for one year. Over 20 years, inflation could be higher or lower.
Questions people ask
Is this telling me where to put my money?
No. The maths works the same for any plan you choose, and we never name a fund or a product. Change the growth rate to match your own plan.
Why is the cost of each day so high?
Early money has the longest time to grow, so the first months you skip are the ones that count most.
What does "to end at the same place" mean?
It's what the plan would need each month, starting late, to end at the same amount as starting on time.
Putting off more than one thing?
Pick up to five and get your Delay Statement: what to do first, what can wait, and one small step for today.
Want a nudge to act on it?
The app turns what you're putting off into a short list for each day: your Top 3 and one small step at a time. It's free.
We show what waiting costs on your own plans. We never tell you what to buy or invest in. Rules and averages change, so check the official pages before you plan anything.